Niel is married to Althea, a qualified biokineticist, and nowadays a golfer and devoted housewife. Niel and Althea are the parents of Juletha-Marie, who obtained her LLB (cum laude), LLM (cum laude), completed a PhD in Intellectual Property Law and is now a candidate attorney at a well-known Intellectual Property Law firm in Century City; and Rufus, who obtained his BCom Law degree in 2020, his LLB in 2022, his LLM in Tax and Commercial Law (cum laude) and is now a candidate attorney at a law firm in Cape Town .  

Besides his passion for the law, Niel is an avid sportsman. He completed more than 100 marathons, including 14 Two Oceans and three Comrades marathons. He also accomplished various Cape Epic events and the Joberg2c cycle tours along with other multi-day endurance events. Niel also represented the Western Province and the National Team for Endurance Horse Riding and served as President of the Endurance Riding Association of South Africa (ERASA).

Niel loves South Africa, and Africa at large, and spends many week-ends farming near Beaufort West in the Great Karoo.

Clients would have learned that Niel’s work is both his passion and his hobby. He is known for always taking a call from a client, regardless of the time, date or the circumstances. Niel is also a firm believer of old-school values and he has a deep respect for the Rule of Law.

Admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa in 1997

Right of Appearance in the High Court in terms of Section 4(2) of the Right of Appearance in Courts Act 62 of 1995 in 2009